The Zerk Chronicles 2 - The connection
by LionPrankster
Summary: After defeating the evil Lord Morbidus, Daniel and Rainbow Dash, now husband and wife and connected together to the core of their souls, have to begin another journey. But, when a new danger emerges and the connection Dash and Daniel have threatens to destroy the entire Equestrian Univers, who or what will save them? (and as I expected, I still suck at making summaries lol xD)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. So glad to be here again and to bring you the beginning of the second book of the Zerk Chronicles. As you might have noticed, the name of the first story has been changed from Zerk to Zerk 1 - a strange world.**

**I have finally ended my vacation and I am back with fresh ideas :) So take a seat, your popcorn and maybe a friend and let us dive again in the troubled life of Daniel as he tries to live in Equestria.**

**I have to mention to those that don't know already that I don't own the world of Equestria or any of its characters with the exception of the OCs that belong to their owners and the story that belongs to me. I also have to remind you that, since winter is coming, flames will only be used in the fire ;)**

**I want to thank everyone for your patience. I really needed to take a break, since I started writing a fantasy novel. I plan to launch it when it is ready. If anyone is interested in a short summary, you can send me a PM.**

**Without further add-o, here is the prologue of this book. Please enjoy :D**

Prologue - Hero's return

Three days have passed since me and Rainbow Dash became husband and wife. Since that moment, our relationship became stronger. Our mental link became a necessity, since without it, we both felt a great emptiness both into our hearts and minds. One could say that we became like the yin-yang symbol. Not half good, half bad, even though each of us has their own darkness inside him. More like united like the said symbol. Each of us has his own body and each of our body keeps our souls, but, in addition to that, each of our body keeps a part of the other's soul. And this makes us stronger as a couple, as a team and as warriors if need be.

Today was the day that our little party which was formed by me, Dash, Shining Armor, John, Zecora and the goblin delegation, was supposed to leave for the goblin kingdom to forge an alliance.

It was early in the morning when I opened my eyes to find myself in the bed of our chamber at Canterlot. Dash was still sleeping. I had woken up with a start. Something was not right. I got up and sat in a lotus position. I began meditating. It wasn't a very helpful thing since all my mind was directing me too was my first dream or nightmare, to be more precise, with Lord Morbidus, in which the flashes of a temple appeared. This was in fact one of the things I still didn't understand. Since my arrival here and all these events, I haven't seen that temple yet.

'Maybe I should talk with Gladir' I thought. I concentrated and soon I found myself in the DreamScape. As usual, Gladir was there, waiting.

'Daniel. What a pleasant surprise. I want to congratulate you on your wedding once again. Now, what brings you here at these early hours of the morning?' Gladir asked.

'Nice to see you too. And thanks. As for the meaning of my visit, I actually have some questions' I said while Gladir smiled.

'Aaah. Full of questions as usual I see. Well then, let's see if we can answer some of them' Gladir said with a smile.

I nodded and made one of the flashes with the temple appear in front of us. After the flash, I asked:

'What is this temple and where is it?'

But Gladir didn't answer. He just seemed to be looking in the distance.

'Gladir, are you okay? Is there something wrong?' I asked. This time, he looked at me and said:

'You haven't the smallest idea how much this means.'

'If you explain, I'll have an idea' I said starting to get worried.

'That...is the last temple of dragons. There, the last of the dragons still lives, but he is asleep. This temple...is probably, the only safe place at any time in Equestria.'

'I still don't understand' I said rather confused.

'I will explain more later, but for now, you should return. Rainbow Dash is getting rather worried' Gladir said. I nodded and returned to find Dash looking at me in an odd way.

"Morning Dashie. What's up?" I asked.

"Morning. What were you meditating about?" she asked coming closer.

"You remember that nightmare I had in the first night I slept at your place?" I asked.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, that nightmare had a flash with a temple in it. And this morning that flash kept repeating, even when I meditated. So, I decided to talk with Gladir to see what he thinks. And he told me that was the last temple of the dragons and where the last dragon lived. And now I am concerned and confused as to what this could mean" I explained. Dash closed her eyes and sat in a lotus near me. We started meditating like that since our wedding because it made it easier for us to focus on other things than each other's thoughts. After half a minute, she opened her eyes and said:

"Now I see why were you meditating. There are a lot of things that could go wrong with that temple." I smiled at her and said:

"You know Dash, you changed a little."

"How come?" she asked.

"Well, when I met you, you were reckless and easy-going. Now, although you still are reckless and easy-going, you started thinking about consequences and results more."

"Hmm...and you like that?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Yeah, I like that and I love you" I said giving her a hug. She hugged me too and said:

"I love you too, but shouldn't we get going? I mean, they might be waiting for us."

"It is a little early. Plus we can just appear right behind them. More important than this...do you think we will have any problem on the road?" I asked as I got up to get dressed.

"I hope not. It wouldn't be the worst of ideas, however, to pack some armor just in case" Dash said as she looked at me dressing. When I was ready, we went and started towards the entrance of the castle where the group, our friends and Celestia were supposed to meet us. No trace of any of them.

"Maybe they are outside?" Dash said. I nodded and we went outside to see if anyone was there. Only Shining Armor was outside. I called him and he came to me:

"Morning, Daniel" he said with a smile.

"Morning Shining Armor. Have you seen the goblin delegation?" I asked.

"They aren't here yet. They were supposed to be here, but it seems something is not right. Maybe we should check-out?" Shining Armor said. Me and Dash nodded and the three of us started towards their chambers. There was no guard in the palace.

"Ummm...Shining Armor, I don't want to be rude, but where the hell are the guards?" I asked looking around. I saw his face as he asked himself the same question.

We reached the door of the dorm delegation and there 2 guards were on the floor. Both of them had small, punctured wounds just under their chin. 'Certainly daggers' I thought. And, at a closer look, they were paralyzed with what looked like poison.

"Stay there for a moment longer, friends. We need to check the palace, then I'll try and cure you" I told them. I saw one blink and took that as an okay.

"Dash, be ready for anything. I don't think we are safe. Summon Moonlight, just to be sure" I said as I summoned Silverfang. Shining Armor took his sword and we opened the door.

**Aaaand...scene. That's it guys and girls. The prologue to this second story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leave me a review to tell me what you liked/didn't like. Any ideas or fan art that you have, I would be happy to see/hear/comment on them :D**

**The song referred in this chapter is "Hero's return" by Hammerfall. It looks like our friend Daniel can't get a moment of rest :D**

**Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1 - Get Out Alive**

**Hey guys and girls. I am back with another chapter for Zerk 2 – The Connection. I am so sorry that it took me so much to post anything, but, frantically, I was very busy with school, plus I started writing a fantasy novel and that took some of my time. I want to thank everyone for being patient enough :D This chapter is not very long, but I hope it is interesting. Enjoy :D**

Shining Armor took out his sword and we opened the door.

Empty. Messy. The room was messy and empty. It was clear that a struggle happened. But the goblin delegation was not here and there were no signs of blood. I put my sword down and so did Dash and Shining Armor.

"What happened here?" Shining Armor asked. I made him a sign to remain silent and then said:

"Let me cure the guards and they will tell us what happened." I went outside and put the guards in a barrier. Then, I morphed into my dragon form and sat down, in a lotus between the guards. I then focused to cure their bodies of the poison. After almost ten minutes in which both Dash and Shining Armor sat in front of me, silent but alert, the guards began to move. I stopped the barrier and morphed back in human form. One of the guards got up and said:

"Thanks for curing us. I suppose you want to know what happened. There was this guard that was no guard. He said Shining Armor gave him permission to enter the room to talk with the guests. We let him in and then we heard sound of struggle. Before we could open the door, the pony came out with two daggers in his hooves. He stabbed the two of us, paralyzing us, and then went back inside. After some time the sounds of struggle stopped and an hour later, you showed up."

"I see. How did this pony look like and where are the other guards?" I asked.

The other pony said:

"We did not see his face. He was wearing a blood-red hood over his face and some kind of blood-red fighting suit made of leather and with many knives and daggers. That was when he stabbed us. Before that, he wore the equipment of a guard. As for the other guards, we don't know."

I looked at Dash and said:

"We must get to John and Zecora. This is Ludvic's hoof. And he kidnapped the goblin delegation."

Then I looked at Shining Armor.

"You get Luna and Celestia in the ball room. We will be there shortly"

Then I looked at the two guards.

"You find as many guards as you can and then report with them at the ball room. Tell them I said so. Now, let's move. We must save the goblins."

- meanwhile somewhere outside Canterlot-

Ludvic was walking in front of the five goblins as they followed him in a northern direction. After picking up the pace a little, one of the goblins said:

"You won't get away with this."

Ludvic didn't look at the goblin but answered:

"I don't need to." Then he made the goblins walk even faster.

-back at Canterlot -

After me and Dash got John and Zecora, we went in the ball room. There, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor and the two guards were waiting for us. I looked at the two guards and asked:

"Where are the others?" The guard that spoke first before, said:

"All are knocked out cold. Someone gave them something to make them sleep. I smelled it in the wine they drank. They will be out from some time. "

I looked at Dash and said:

"That sure complicates things a bit." Before saying anything else, Celestia said:

"So, why are we here at this early hour?" I looked at her as if she was dumb and then realized Shining Armor didn't tell her what happened.

"The castle has been infiltrated again. All guards are unavailable and the infiltrator kidnapped the goblin delegation. Also, the kidnapper knows how to use daggers, poisons and wears a blood-red leather suit with many knives, throwing-knives and daggers. He also wears a blood-red hood. He has an advance of about an hour and a half, give or take. Any ideas what we can do? "I asked, already having the sketch of a plan in my head, but wanting a second opinion from someone else than Dash, who, as I shared my idea with her through our connection, thought of it as the last resort.

Celestia's jaw dropped and Luna almost fainted, while Zecore and John looked at one another, both of them knowing who I was talking about. Shining Armor already was putting his military mind to use, searching for a solution to our problem. He seemed to reach a conclusion, looked at me and waited for my plan. I nodded in his direction and he nodded back. Since we fought side by side many times during the war, both of us knew the way the other would analyze the problem, so we both got to the same conclusion that moment. I could see why he was the Captain of the guards and the right hand of Celestia.

I looked at Celestia and she looked at me before she said:

"One thing is obvious. We need to go and save the goblin delegation. By your look, I see you have a plan. Would you like to share it with us? "

"Sure thing. Now, if my deduction is correct, Ludvic kidnapped the goblin delegation to make it look as if we declare war to the goblins. Since we only have two guards available, they, along with Shining Armor will remain here to defend you and Princess Luna. Me, John, Zecora and Dash will go on their tracks and return with the goblin delegation. If everyone agrees with this plan, then we should start at once as to not give Ludvic such a big advantage. "I made a pause for fifteen seconds and no one made a move to speak differently, so I continued:

"Princesses, please go in the throne room, where Shining Armor will block the door. When we will return, we will teleport in the middle of the room with the goblin delegation. Let's move" I added as I summoned my wings, John made his staff appear and Zecora put some kind of cloak on and Dash opened the door so the we could leave.

In less than a minute, we were outside, following the distinct footprints of the goblins. As we walked, John commented:

"These tracks are too obvious. It's not like Ludvic to be so careless. This is either a trap or a hasty made plan. If it's the first, we should be careful how we spring it. If it's the second, than I am very disappointed in my former student. "I wanted to make a harsh remark, but I knew better than to talk about such things at the moment.

"In any case, we should keep moving forward. Even if these tracks were made to lead us in a trap, they are our only lead at the moment. Plus, do these tracks look like hooves?" I asked pointing at them as we walked. John looked at them too and then said:

"No, they look like claws dragged at a certain interval… which means… one goblin is making this without Ludvic knowing, so that we can find them."

"Exactly what I was thinking. But, even so, from what I know about this Ludvic you all told me about, he could have made the goblin do this by giving him some drug. Is that even possible Zecora?" I asked turning to her.

"It could be. There are some potions that can make someone obey orders, but I don't recall ever teaching Ludvic about them" she answered.

"Which means this can still be a trap. Plus, if I see correctly, the tracks now have an increased distance between them. I think they are moving faster. We need to hurry" Dash said as she pointed at the tracks. So we did the only thing we could think of. I grabbed John while she grabbed Zecora and we began flying fast, following the tracks. Since Ludvic was on foot, and with prisoners, ten minutes later we could see something moving in the distance as we flew over Equestria. We were heading to the north border of Equestria, the border with the goblin kingdom. John saw this too and said:

"Why would Ludvic take the goblins to the goblin kingdom if he wants to make us look like kidnappers?"

"I don't know" I said confused as well. "But we better fly over the clouds from now on. So that we can ambush them on the go" I added.

"I don't know about this. It looks like a storm is coming soon. It might be dangerous" Dash said looking at the clouds. I looked too, and they were getting a grey to dark blue color.

"We have no other choice. We will have to risk it" I said with a grave voice.

"We better not. These are not natural clouds" John added just as we began descending. We stopped in mid-air.

"What? How can you be so sure?" Zecora asked before we could say anything.

"Because I though Ludvic this. He already knows we are in his pursuit. And that we are flying. Probably he put a sentry around here somewhere. He is trying to force us to the ground" he said with a sigh.

"A sentry? What is that?" I asked.

"It is an object which is connected by a magic link to another object he has with him. He made the goblins walk just through the field of sense of that sentry. And we stepped right on it to say so. We better land" John said as he pointed at Ludvic and his prisoners who stopped walking and were all looking towards us.

"My old master, we meet again. And I see that you brought that old hag with you too" Ludvic's amplified voice said.

"Old master? I am not that old" John said, a vein in his neck beginning to pulse.

"A hag? Okay, he literally crossed the line there!" Zecora said. Her stare could kill stones. That's how angry she was.

"Oh, and I see the little knight and his girlfriend have joined too. What a lovely surprise" Ludvic's voice said again.

'Oh, I'll show him little' I said in my mind, forgetting for a second Dash could hear me.

'We. We will show him' she corrected looking at me with a smile. She began going in a dive straight for Ludvic with Zecora in her hooves.

"Looks like we are landing. Get ready John… I think it will be quite a fight" I said as I dove as well.

We reached the land in a couple of seconds, right before Ludvic's eyes. The goblins looked at us, not knowing what to expect.

"Get out of here. We will get in soon. Head south for two hundred meters and make camp" I said. They nodded and left running, while Ludvic smiled.

"Always putting the good of others before your own. So touching. But why didn't you do so when my employer attacked your girlfriend?" Ludvic began saying, as he let his blood-red coat fall.

"Ludvic, the topic you opened is not a good one" John said in a threatening voice.

"Oh, but master, I want to know all the story. After all, the way they defied death through love is legendary. Of course, you have no idea what love is, do you? You just let Princess Luna keep you as a rebellious pet. And the only reason you are still with her is because you want to experience what Daniel… is it correct? Daniel is experiencing" he continued mocking as he and us circled each other.

"As if you knew what love is" Zecora said in a spiteful tone.

"Who gave you permission to talk, hag? I didn't even expected to see you here. Yet again, you always are at the places where disasters happen. Like that time when that pony family died because you accidentally start a fire in their barn. They were your own adoptive parents and you didn't even help them. You ran away scared. And since then, your hocus pocus only took you to one direction. You want to revive their spirits so you can talk to them for one last time and to tell them how sorry you are…" he said before Dash summoned her sword and said:

"Ludvic, one more word about us, and I swear I'll cut you open!"

"Oh, aren't you an angry one. Rainbow Dash was it? Weren't you the one who wanted to get in that fly team? The one you almost killed at your audition with that daring trick of yours?" Ludvic said with an evil grin as he stopped and took out from the sheaths on his legs two daggers. I looked at Dash. Her face was contorted with fury. But also something else…pain. Emotional pain. She was crying.

"That's the last drop!" I roared as I morphed in my dragon form and summoned Silverfang. I looked straight in Ludvic's eyes and saw hesitation for a moment, before his evil grin returned:

"Aren't you shinny? I bet I could make a nice trophy from you" he said as he took guard stance. I blew some smoke from my nostrils and then attacked.

"Don't!" John said, but it was too late. I was already winging my sword. Since I was two times bigger than him, he dodged with ease. He then stabbed me with only one dagger in the tip of my tail. The effect was instantaneous. I lost control of my body and fell to the ground.

"Now, stay put while I deal with your friends. But, so that you see I am not a total jerk as you probably think, Rainbow Dash, you can come here and stay right beside him. And don't try anything or I'll kill him" Ludvic said as Dash got up from where she was siting emotionally destroyed and came right beside me.

"Good. Two down. Two to go" he said with the same grin. Zecora looked at us and then took out two daggers, as did John. Only she was a second too slow.

"No you don't" Ludvic said as he put some kind of magical trap on her and she couldn't move.

_That's not good_, I could read on John's lips.

"Okay, old man. Let's stop the chatter and pleasantries and get to it" Ludvic said as he dashed faster than I could follow with my eyes to John. John however, did a simple sidestep and dodged him. Ludvic landed some steps behind John and shot a lightning from his hoof. John dodged that too and threw himself a lightning at Ludvic. Ludvic smiled and threw another lightning which met John's at the center. The lightning bolts had almost the same power, only that the center was slowly moving towards John.

"You are weak, old man. I can beat you easily" Ludvic said pushing forward with his lightning.

John was on his knees, with the hoof shooting lightning in the air, the hood covering his face while his head was bowed. Ludvic began laughing maniacally as the center was getting closer to John. But just a meter or so from John, blue smoke began coming from under John's hood and the center stopped. Sparks began hitting left and right, breaking rocks and trees.

"What?" Ludvic said as he was genuinely surprised and pushed further. But the center won't move.

"You have grown impatient and you forgot the first rule of magic, my student. Never ever underestimate your opponent" John said as suddenly he got to his hooves. When he turned his face to Ludvic, I saw the scared look on his face. Then I looked at John. Dark blue smoke was coming out of his mouth and his eyes began to glow, the smoke forming a blue phoenix face over his own face. The beak was covered in lightning. When he spoke next, his voice sounded unearthly:

"Ludvic, playing with the powers of nature that you don't understand is foolish and you know it." The center of the collision begun moving rapidly towards Ludvic, who began sweating with effort.

"This is not the last time you will see me, old man, and next time, you will die. Until now I had mercy, but next time you will die first. And then I will wipe Equestria from the face of this realm" Ludvic said as he quickly jumped away from the lightning and quickly bit his hoof, making a red circle on the ground. He smiled evilly and was gone in tornado of flames. John's face returned to normal and he fell on the ground breathing heavily. Zecora was now free and put her daggers away and went to help John. After she got him to eat some of his dried herbs, she said:

"What was that put there?"

"That…was the Thunderbird form. I only managed to do it twice in my life. The first time was when I staged my death and the second time was now. But this is of no importance. We must help Daniel. He is paralyzed and probably poisoned rather badly" John said as he got up. He came closer to us and put his hoof on my head as Dash watched.

'Daniel, do you hear me?' he asked with his mind.

'Yes, I do. Only my body is paralyzed' I answered.

'Good. Talk to Dash and tell her to swear on her life she will never say what she saw me do today to anyone. Also, you are poisoned very badly, and the only thing preventing you from going into coma is the dragon form. Whatever you do, don't let it subside' he said with a calm voice. He then picked me up and told Zecora:

"If you or any of you say anything about this to anyone, I'll kill all of you myself. This form has to remain secret."

'Daniel, we should tell Celestia about this power' Dash said looking at me, as she recovered slowly from her crying state.

'No. We won't. You will have to swear it' I said seriously. She looked at me as if this was no good idea, but sighed and nodded.

"Dash, go and get the goblins. Bring them here, so that you can teleport all of us in the throne room" John said. Dash nodded and flew to get the goblins, A couple of minutes later, she was back here with the goblins.

"Are all of you okay?" Gorm asked as he looked at us.

"We're only a little worn. That's all. Daniel on the other hand, he is gravely poisoned. Dash, if you please" John motioned to Dash to teleport all of us to the throne room. And just like that, in a flash of light, all of us disappeared from the scene of the battle, the only sign of us ever been there being the destruction.

**Aaaaand… scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it. The next one however, I don't know when I will post it. But I haven't forgotten about writing here and about the stories. The updates will be slow, but they will come with time. Tell me what you think of it in a review :D**

**The song for this chapter is "Get out alive" by Three Days Grace because I feel that this song fits perfectly to the mental state of all the characters involved in this battle.**

**LionPrankster, over and out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2 - Before the dawn**

**Hey guys and girls, how have you been doing? Me? I am doing fine. I want to apologize for taking so long to write the chapters for my stories, only, as I am a HS senior at the moment, I need to focus more on school, while other activities come on a secondary plan.**

**So, I just got some free time today and the next one, some nice biscuits with cereals, a nice cup of steaming green tea, unsweetened of course (my fav :))) ) and decided that I will entertain you with another exciting chapter in this story. I will also post a chapter in my other story, so be sure to check them out. Expect some more chapters in the month that comes since holyday is coming and Christmas chapters are a requirement :))))**

**So, without further to add, let's dive right back in the story and see what will happen next, shall we? Enjoy !**

**-third person POV-**

The throne was completely silent and closed. Celestia and Luna, along with the two guards and Shining Armor were waiting for something, anything to happen. Then, a bright light and Dash, Daniel, Zecora, John and the goblins popped in front of them.

"Are you all alright? What happened?" Celestia asked.

"We fought Ludvic. No time to explain now. Daniel has been gravely poisoned. We need to get him in a room so I can heal him" Zecora said. Shining Armor opened the doors and led the way to an unused room that had a big table inside. John and Dash put Daniel on the table.

"Okay, I need to see what poison it is" Zecora said as she prepared to examine Daniel.

"No need" John said, interrupting her. "I know what poison it is. It s the Silver Death" he said calmly.

"What? But that is not possible. Daniel would have died instantly" Zecora said.

"Yes, he would, but he is the dragon form now. He is more resilient to poison, but he won't make it through the night if we don't hurry" John said.

"Right. Let me just get my stuff from my hut. Rainbow Dash, can you teleport me there so I can grab the herbs and prepare the antidote?" Zecora asked.

"Sure I can" she said as she prepared to teleport with Zecora. Before doing so, she told Daniel through the mental link:

'Stay strong. We will make you well.' And then she and Zecora disappeared.

**-Daniel POV-**

As I saw Dash and Zecora disappear, I breathed calmly for a couple of seconds, before I felt my arms and legs in pain.

'John, are you there?' I asked through my mental link.

'Yes, Dan, I am.'

'Where are you? I can t see you' I continued.

'On a seat behind you, with Celestia, Shining Armor, Luna and Gorm. You want me to tell them something?' John asked.

'Not yet. I just needed to talk to you. Can you tell me more about that thing you did out there?' I asked.

'The Thunderbird form? I can tell you more, but you'll have to keep it secret. Now, what it basically is. Basically, I harness the magic around me from darkness and lightning and form something like a suit of armor. As long as there is lightning or shadow or darkness around me, I am invincible. That means I can't be killed, as long as I am in that form' John explained.

'That is kind of powerful' I commented.

'Yeah. It is very powerful, but there is a catch. First of all, I need lighting or darkness. Today we were lucky that Ludvic controlled the weather to create those storm clouds so I had lighting. Second, since I am a mere pony, if I use it for a long period of time, my body would begin to disintegrate.'

'But you said you can't die' I said confused.

'I can't be killed. But I can die. If I use it for too long, all the energy I am trying to control and direct to my enemy will eventually overflow me and my body will burst into pure energy. Something like a bomb. It destroys everything around me for a very long distance' John explained.

'Okay now let's say you weren't just a mere pony. What would happen then?' I asked. I heard his voice chuckle, before he answered:

'Well, probably, I would disintegrate too, but in a longer time and with a more powerful area of damage. But, the problem is, not everyone can learn this Thunderbird form. In fact, it can't be thought. It is discovered by a person in a time he needs its power. Plus, even if almost any mage, wizard or witch, managed to use this form once it was found, I never heard of any dragon or dragon-born, for that matter, to use it, or even to discover it' John explained in a sad voice.

'Okay. So, you just said earlier that I might not pull it through the night? Because my feet and arms kind of hurt me now. And it's pretty bad' I said with a little pain in my voice.

'Oh crap. Umm, try not to fall asleep. We might not be able to wake you up again' John said with a hint of panic in his voice.

'Figured that out I said' chuckling painfully.

**-meanwhile, at Zecora's hut-**

"Zecora, I don't want to be rude, but what is taking so long?" Dash asked flying around the hut in circles.

"I have to gather all I need to cure him. The thing is, since I never heard of a person to survive this long to the poison, I don't really know what I'll need. So I take everything" Zecora said as one of the voodoo masks fell on her head.

"Oww. Okay, almost done. I just need the spell book and we can go" Zecora said as she grabbed it and put it in her backpack. Rainbow Dash landed and together, they teleported back to Canterlot castle and in the room Daniel was.

**-back to the room, third person POV-**

A bright flash and they arrived.

"So, how is he holding?" Dash asked.

"Not very well. He just told me his hands and feet hurt a lot. The poison is spreading" John commented from his seat.

"Right. I should be moving faster Zecora" said and she put all her herbs and vials near Daniel's body. She opened a vial and said:

"Daniel, I know you can hear me, but can't respond. I'll give you an anesthesia so your legs and arms won't hurt that bad. Then I'll begin working on the cure." She poured the vial in his dragon snout and made him drink it. After he drank, she began mixing different vials together and saying incantations. After about ten minutes, she said:

"I know you guys want to stay here, but I need to focus at the moment, and your presence in kind of distracting me. So please leave until I call for you" Zecora said as she continued mixing things, throwing them away, looking through the book, mumbling incantations and looking outside to check the time every so often.

Everyone left the room to give her space and silence so that she can focus and went to the throne room. Celestia sat on the throne and said:

"Okay. Now that someone is taking care of Daniel, what happened out there?"

"Well, we followed Ludvic and were planning to attack from above, until he forced us on the ground. Then he began to pick on our feelings, rendering me useless" Rainbow Dash explained. "After that, Daniel tried to defend me, but didn't see the dagger Ludvic pulled from his coat and was stabbed in the tail. Zecora was pinned down by some magic, and in the end John saved us, making Ludvic run away. We won some time, but I don't know how much. We should still be on alert" Rainbow Dash continued.

"Understood. What should we do now?" Luna asked.

"Well, we could continue with what we started. We can go to the goblins and continue with the treaty" Shining Armor said.

"I stand by this decision, Princess Celestia" Gorm said in a serene tone.

"Luna, what do you think?" Celestia asked.

"Well, the goblins have to return home. And after what happened today, we can't send them without an escort. And since our soldiers are out for the day I don't see any other course of action" Luna said. Celestia nodded.

"I need one more opinion before we go on with this. I want to speak to Daniel in the morning Celestia said with a serious tone. Just then Gladir's ghost appeared and he said:

"Good afternoon everyone. Where is Daniel? I have to speak with him."

"He is fighting a poison at the moment. The Silver Death" Rainbow Dash said with a pained voice. Gladir's face turned from happy to troubled in a second.

"Take me there" he said.

"We can't. Zecora said that she needs silence so that she can cure him" John answered. Gladir was about to say something, but just then, the throne room door burst open and Zecora came rushing inside with her mane a mess and drenched in sweat. All the eyes turned on her as she said:

"You all have to come with me. He is out of control. Now!"

**Aaaaaaaand ...scene. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and tell me how it was, what you liked, what you didn't and any ideas you might have. I am very happy to say that I am back for now and will continue to write on this story the first chance I get.**

**The song for this story is called "Before the dawn" by Judas Priest. It a very good song and I suggest you listen to it. It might be a little spoiler for the next chapter :)))**

**Okay, see you later and don't forget to R&R :D**

**LionPrankster, over and out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3 Living A Bad Dream**

**I know what you are thinking. Another update already? What is going on? Why does he do this? The thing is I didn't want to leave you on with that cliff hanger too long, so I decided to just write the next one and deliver it to you. Also, I saw that my editor doesn't put all the letters and dots and commas and stuff when I write, so I fixed the last chapter :D Thank you, my beloved reviewers and readers for reading this story. Also, for those that read my other story, a chapter will be posted soon. It takes a little longer to post because I have some finishing touches to add . Please Enjoy :D**

Gladir was about to say something, but just then, the throne room door burst open and Zecora came rushing inside with her mane a mess and drenched in sweat. All the eyes turned on her as she said:

"You all have to come with me. He is out of control. Now!"

**-ten minutes earlier, with Zecora and Daniel, third person POV-**

Okay, this one should do it Zecora said as she put a final ingredient in a vial of antidote. She turned to Daniel and said:

"I'll give you this antidote. It should cure the poison but be careful, okay? Don't stand up too fast, and whatever you do, don't morph back yet." And she poured the antidote in Daniel's mouth and made him drink it. Then she waited. Daniel's mouth began to move a little.

"Ze-co-ra" he whispered slowly.

"Thank god this worked. Can you move your fingers?" Zecora asked as she looked at him. Daniel slowly managed to move a claw, than another one, then the entire hand.

"Good, try with your foot now" Zecora said.

Daniel tried and could move his feet. He then moved his arms and his feet at the same time. He stood still for a moment, then he sat up.

"Daniel, take it easy. Please" Zecora said as she tried to put him back on the table. He pushed her away and growled:

"Don't touch me, you monster." Then he began smashing things around him. He broke some chairs and a window. While he was in this rage, Zecora soundlessly slipped by him and went running to the throne room. When she got there, she saw everyone there, and Gladir and said:

"You all have to come with me. He is out of control. Now!"

They all rushed out of the throne room and, leaded by Zecora, they went in the room where Daniel was. He was still smashing things around. He turned at the sound of them approaching and stopped what he was doing. He looked at them with glassy eyes and growled deep in his throat. Rainbow Dash went forward close to him and said:

"Dan, calm down. It's me, Dash. We are your friends. You are safe." He seemed to understand her for a moment, because he said:

"Friends... safe?" Rainbow Dash nodded and took a step forward, but Daniel growled again and lunged for her. Instantly he was held in place with magic from Celestia and John. Rainbow Dash stumbled backwards and tears began falling from her eyes.

"He doesn't recognize me!" she cried as she broke in a fit of tears.

"Quick. Set him on the table" Gladir said as he went over to a struggling Daniel. After Celestia and John set him on the table still bound in magic, Gladir put his ghostly hands on his forehead and closed his eyes. Daniel calmed instantly and tears began falling from his eyes.

**-in Daniel's mind, while he was breaking stuff, Daniel POV-**

What the hell is happening? I thought as I felt my body moving but could not control it. Just then, my mind went instantly in a meditative state and I woke in the middle of my sanctuary.

'Anybody here?' I called as I began walking around. I was a shadow move somewhere in front of me and went to investigate. Near a tree, was a silver version of Ludvic.

'What the hell are you doing here? This is my mind. Get OUT!' I cried as loud as I could. The figure merely looked at me and took out two daggers. He began attacking me. I was almost defenseless here. I tried to dodge the hits, but some of them scratched my body. I played this dangerous dance for quite some time, until time seemed to slow to a halt. Then I felt something touching my forehead.

'Daniel' Gladir's voice said.

'Gladir? What are you doing here? What is going on outside? Why am I here?'

'Listen. You have been poisoned with the Silver Death. It has a strong effect on minds. Outside right now, you almost killed Rainbow Dash and Zecora.'

'I almost did WHAT?!' I called out loud feeling tears falling from my eyes almost instantly.

'Almost killed your wife and your friend. Now listen carefully. Don't blame yourself for it. The Ludvic you see in front of you, is the one that almost did it. It controlled your mind and actions. That is what it does. It is only in your mind. Your mind. You can control it, not be controlled by it. Just wish for him to be gone and he will be gone' Gladir said quickly.

'Right' I said as I closed my eyes and wished really hard to return home and have Rainbow Dash in my arms again.

**-back to Equestria-**

Daniel suddenly shot up from the table, magic and all. Everyone almost panicked, when Gladir calmly said:

"No. He is fine now. He was under the effect of the poison back then, but he beat it. I need to be going now. I will talk to you soon, Daniel." And with that Gladir was gone. I looked around the room and saw Dash in a corner crying. Everyone bombarded me with questions but I ignored them for the time. I morphed back in human form and ran to Dash. She looked up and saw me coming to her. She seemed to cower a little in fear, but she did not run away. I sat down beside her and hugged her really tightly while muttering:

"I am sorry. I didn't want to. My body the poison. I am sorry."

Dash looked up at me and said, calming a little:

"I know. I saw everything through the link. I am not crying because you almost attacked me. I know you would never do that if you could control your body and mind, but because you kept getting beaten by the poison and I felt every piece of it. If you died by that poison, so would have I."

"I would never allow that and you know it" I said and hugged her tightly.

"Daniel, can we talk now?" Celestia asked carefully. I turned my face to her and realized I owed everyone some explanations.

"Yes. I am sorry for not listening earlier. I was troubled earlier. Ask me what you want" I said taking my eyes from them and calming Dash.

"What happened? Why did you go berserk and almost killed rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked.

"The poison was attacking my mind. I had no control over my body. I am sorry" I said calmly.

"Do you think we should continue with the plan of going to the goblins?" Luna asked.

"Yes. We should. We will go tomorrow morning if Dash agrees" I said as I looked at her. She nodded a little.

"Okay. I think everyone had a hard and stressful day. We should all go and get some rest" John said. I looked out the window and saw it was only late evening, but I was tired, and frankly, I think all of us were. So I nodded and then said:

"I'll put a barrier over the castle tonight. We should all sleep but I suggest that we sleep in the throne room. The barrier will only be strong enough to cover a room while I sleep. So, let's head there."

We all went in the throne room and Luna and Celestia made some beds appear. Each of us chose a bed, while I morphed in the dragon form and extended a barrier over the throne room. Then I went in the same bed as Dash and took her in my arms. She turned and hugged me too. I whispered in her ear:

"I will never let a thing like this happen ever again."

"I know you won't. I love you Dany" Dash answered and kissed my cheek.

"Love you too" I said as I hugged her tighter and we fell asleep.

**Aaaaaaaand ...scene. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review and tell me what did you and didn t you like. I know this is kind of short but I hope you liked it.**

**The song for this chapter is Living Bad Dreams by Judas Priest. I think it really describes Daniel and his mental health of this chapter really good. I am listening to Judas priest quite often these days. you should check them out :D.**

**LionPrankster, over and out.**


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